Snow White, Blood Red
by Tainted Rhapsody
Summary: "Ah yes, blood. It carries such a feeling of contentment, of satisfaction, as if it was filling up something deep within me." A twist on Snow White, with a healthy serving of horror. Blood and a bit of violence, but not too graphic.


**So I felt like writing something that _wasn't _in my usual -erm- 'genre', so I wrote this randomly. It was just something I thought up when I encountered a type of writing known as 'Gothic Horror', and I felt like doing this, so I thought, lets screw up a fairytale! ^_^ Yay!**

**Aaaanyway, I took Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and basically twisted it into horror. There is blood, but I'm not very good at describing violence, so it's not too graphic. I just gave this a go and it turned out alright, if a bit disjointed. **

**Please review and tell me what you think~! **

_~Snow White, Blood Red~_

Red is a beautiful colour, is it not?

Rich and silky, the very description of sin.

So alluring, when stained across the pale white of a maiden's skin, tainting the purity of her soul. A symphony to the final dying breaths of a sweet, innocent creature, gasping and choking as her chest lay finally still. Such beauty, never again to be felt, never again to be appreciated.

_Wonderful. _

I fingered my beard, digits running through the thick curls that hung from my jaw. It was always wonderful to reminisce of past deeds. They were far more captivating than the exhaustingly needy woman seated opposite me.

I sighed. "What is it that you require of us," I droned, voice lowering as my tone turned mocking, "_Your Highness?_"

The female twitched, lip curling as she grimaced in anger. Many claim that beauty is only skin deep. This woman, on the other hand, has it in neither her inner nor outer self. She was but an ugly creature, hidden under uncountable layers of powder and ochre.

So unlike her daughter. _Ah_, her daughter. Such grace…such beauty… _such vanity_. That was to say, when she had been alive.

I leaned back, fingers interlacing as I revisited my memories.

It had been many a day ago, when blossoms had still embellished the flowers growing in the woods, much unlike the season of now, when orange leaves grace the ground of the forest.

_Almost. _

Loud noises filled the air as a person trudged through the woods, causing every creature within hearing distance to scurry off in fear. "Aargh! That idiot! How dare she?"

_Yes, almost. _

I fixed my cap, throwing my pick over my shoulders before signalling for the others to follow suit. As I strode forward, my brothers trailed after me, lapsing into a familiar chorus.

"_Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho  
>It's home from work we go<br>'Whistles'  
>Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho"<em>

As we broke through the trees and onto the forest path, the running figure slammed straight into our line, bowling over many a dwarf. "Urgh! Watch where you're going, you bozo!"

I got up slowly, surveying the others. Happy had a murderous expression plastered on his face, irises shining with malice as his temper began to stoke. I glared sternly at him, sending over a silent message.

_Behave._

The others dusted themselves off, smirking as the female righted herself, fussing over her curly brown hair and checking to make sure that her make-up was fine. Snapping shut her mirror, the woman looked us up and down, a frown of annoyance marring her beautiful features.

Doc advanced, smiling sweetly as he extended a hand. "Hullo M'lady. Please do forgive us for getting in your way," he apologised, "Would you be in a rush, by any chance?" Truly, his way with words never ceased to amaze me.

The 'lady' stared scornfully down at our small group, her lips pursed as she contemplated the situation. Suddenly, her face broke into a huge, false smile, the girl's attitude doing a complete three-sixty. "Oh, of course not, dear! I was just…going for a run," she crooned, bending down to lightly grip Doc's thumb, avoiding as much contact as possible.

Bashful rolled his eyes at her condescending tone, as Grumpy covered his mouth to hide a snicker. I moved forward, making sure to 'accidentally' trip over my tunic as I stumbled over to her. "Hiyas! What's your name, ma'am?" I grinned stupidly up at her, pushing my cap upright with a sleeve.

"Snow White. Yours?"

"Dopey, ma'am! An' these here are Gwumpy, Happy, Bashful, Doc, Sweepy and Sneezy!" her expression was of amusement; obviously she found our names comical. "If you're not busy, wanna come over ta our pwace?"

She stopped for a moment, considering her situation.

" 'Tis jus' around the corna!" I urged, grimacing inwardly at the humiliating persona I had to adopt. _What a pain._

You could almost see the cogs turning in her head as Snow White mulled over my offer. _Dumb short men + pretty cottage = being spoilt. _"Sure, why not? I'll come!"

_She truly was a simpleton. How sad. Although…it was quite useful._

We led her past the trees to the small house that we had recently bought, humming happily as we went. As the door swung open and our abode was revealed, the princess walked in as if she owned the place.

"My, this is…," she prodded a cobweb. "…charming."

"Why thank ya, ma'am," Bashful chortled, blushing deeply as he linked his hands shyly behind his back, "But 'tis nothin' compared to your beauty!"

Sneezy moved to stand beside me, muttering under his breath, "Yeah, as if."

I had to disagree; she truly was a beauty, although extremely conceited. Judging by the way she tossed her hair back, she had expected such a compliment.

"I truly do _adore_ this place! It's so cosy," Snow White giggled insincerely as she fiddled with the gold goblets that we drank from (we had our vices), her innocent blue eyes sparkling with greed.

_Cosy, huh?_ _Not for long._

~( ^_^ )~

I sauntered up the stairs, pulling off my stupid cap as I went. "Sleepy. Anything new?" I inquired, coming to a stop in front of my brother, who was very much awake.

"Nah, started snoring as soon as she hit the bed; she won't be going anywhere," came the reply as he leaned back into the wooden chair beside our bedroom door. A candle burned softly in its wicker, casting an eerie glow over our faces.

I grinned maliciously, crossing my arms. "Good. See to it that she does not leave," I ordered, turning away swiftly. "We will have our turn soon, my brother. Very soon."

~( ^_^ )~

Snow White strolled lazily into the living area, rubbing her eyes as she attempted to tame her tangled hair.

"Good morning, m'lady!" Doc called from his position by the oven.

"Yeah, yeah," she grunted, falling into a seat unceremoniously.

Sleepy raised an eyebrow at her callous demeanour, and looked at me as if to say _are you sure? _I nodded slightly, my smile miniscule. _Yes._

Sneezy licked his lips, his expression wild as he stared at the unknowing girl. The look was wiped clean off his face as soon as it appeared, as he returned to the ruse of rubbing the bottom of his nose.

"Here, ma'am! Apple pie, straight out of the oven," Doc announced, gripping the pastry with his oven mitts as he brought it to the dining table.

"Eew, no way! Do you have any idea how many calories are in that? Do you _want_ me to get fat?" she shrieked, flinching away from the steaming pie as if it was infested with flies.

Grumpy nearly burst out laughing, needing to hold his fist over his mouth to hold his mirth in. I rolled my eyes. _Women these days._

I moved forward, waving my arms like an idiot, a giant grin gracing my face. "Snow White! Snow White! We have to go to work now. Do you wanna come?"

Her disgusted expression morphed into one of complete horror. "Are you crazy? I'll completely ruin my nails!"

"…Oh…okay then…," I allowed my mouth to tremble and for my eyes to fill up with tears, portraying my 'disappointment'.

"Alrighty then! Sleepy can stay behind with you." Happy interjected, smiling brightly.

"Fine, but…you don't expect me to do any, like, _housework_, do you?"

"Oh no no no, m'lady! We couldn't ask you to do as _strenuous_ as that!" Doc exclaimed, his hands waving back and forth.

Grabbing our pick-axes, the six of us marched out of the cottage, the pieces of equipment thrown over our shoulders. I looked back at Sleepy, whose eyes were sharp with vigilance as his gaze met mine.

A small nod, and we continued on our way.

~( ^_^ )~

My brothers and I strode into the mine, diamonds and precious metals glinting at us from every direction. This was where we gained our main income. After discovering this treasure trove, our fortune had sky-rocketed, ensuring we always lived comfortably.

"HA HA HA! That girl sure is a hoot!" Grumpy burst out, plonking down on a rock.

"Yes, I must agree. I truly have never met such a vain creature, animal or human," my glasses-wearing brother agreed.

"I can't stand the woman. What right does she have to say such things to us?" Happy growled, his hands clenching into fists. "I can't wait to pound her head in!"

Bashful smirked, picking up a ruby and tossing it from hand to hand. "Hey bro, why do we have to act like this?" he said, "I guess I've got it good, since all I have to do is blush once in a while, but Happy's gonna tear his hear out if he keeps on having to act all 'nice'."

"Do not complain, Bashful. Our normal personalities would no doubt cause anyone suspicion, and thus we must have these false personas." I leisurely seated myself on a boulder, throwing aside my despised hat and pulling up my sleeves.

"If we acted out personalities too close to our true selves, then there would be a higher chance of accidentally reverting. Do you think I _enjoy_ being a dumb, jumpy brat?" my eyes bored into his as I interlaced my fingers.

He shook his head vigorously. "N-no, I wasn't implying that, brother. I-It's just that Doc can act more like himself than the rest of us."

"Hmph. Unlike _you_, I can actually_ use_ my brain." Doc sneered, earning a round of boisterous laughter from Grumpy. "I would _not _make such a careless mistake."

A deafening argument broke out, with the two of my brothers shouting at the top of their lungs, Happy joining in just for the sake of it. Grumpy was rolling on the floor, hooting with mirth, Sneezy cackling loudly along with him.

I waited, my face a serene calm. It was always humorous how they never seemed to notice my rising temper, even after knowing me for decades. I sighed inwardly. What idiots.

"Quiet. _Now_."

Silence.

Well, they had their redeeming qualities – such as knowing when to close their mouths. I stood up, and the others immediately shuffled backwards. With the exception of Sneezy, who grinned wildly, his eyes sparkling with excitement; he loved it when I was in an unforgiving mood.

A peculiar child. Not an ounce of fear, or thought for that matter, within that mind of his. He lived on pure primal instinct, and new exactly how to stalk his prey, including extensive knowledge on deception. In fact, his ability to follow orders exactly, and the never-ending patience that he seemed to have obtained made him invaluable, unlike the others.

"Why are you all standing here bickering like a bunch of house-wives? We have a job to do, boys. If you want to enjoy yourselves later on, then you had better snap to it!" I snarled.

"Y-yeah, but Dopey…" Happy began.

My head snapped towards him, fingers clenching minutely. "_What _did you say?" I said, my deceptively calm voice echoing eerily through the cavern.

His eyes widened in fear. "U-uh, n-nothing, brother! I-I d-didn't mean-," the man's voice was cut off as I slammed him against a wall of rock, my fist curling in the front of his tunic. Making a small choking noise, the dwarf trembled as I added more strength to my hold.

"Yes, yes you did, Happy," I hissed, eyes burning with rage, although my face remained slack. "You should know better than to call me that name. That _wench _ruined our lives!" His expression was no longer of anger, annoyance, or even of false cheer. No, the emotion in his eyes was of pure terror. "Do not _ever_ repeat the word that _she_ christened me with," I spat, thumping his head into the wall to make my point known. "Understood?"

"Y-yes," he squeaked, breath coming out in rasps.

I released him, turning towards the entrance of the mines. The others scurried off in fear, knowing full well that another misplaced word would cost them many a limb.

Sneezy walked up to my side, grinning maliciously as he began to speak, his voice low and rasping, like that of a deranged animal. "When?"

I smiled in anticipation. "Soon, my brother. Soon."

~( ^_^ )~

Several days passed since our 'encounter' with Snow White, who had been more than willing to stay in our cottage, much to our delight. The foolish little girl had apparently argued with her mother, and had stomped off into the woods in a fit of rage.

She continually gushed about her 'luck' in meeting such wonderful, nice people such as us, and that she was so glad we had met. Her compliments would have been more believable, of course, if they hadn't been absent comments she had voiced while filing her nails.

Happy was about to strangle her when the spoilt brat asked him to get her some strawberries from the forest; an impossible task, as they weren't in season and were far and few in between. The situation had been remedied by Doc, but the volatile dwarf truly was at the end of his patience.

I chuckled silently to myself as Snow White lazed around on the sofa, claiming that she was bored. It was a dark night, and not being able to go out partying with her friends was making her quite grouchy. Wiping sweaty hands on my tunic, I shifted in anticipation. Beaming from cheek to cheek, I ran over to her and jumped up and down. "Hey, hey, Snow, do you wanna do somethin' _fun_?"

Every one of my brothers froze. They turned around slowly, muscles tensed in preparation. Sneezy began to grin murderously, and the others joined in, no longer able to hold back their excitement. A few of them whispered quietly. "_Almost._"

The dense woman in front of me was completely oblivious to the savage expressions pointed at her, as she replied to my answer. "I dunno…what's your idea of _fun_?"

Grumpy suddenly broke into raucous laughter, causing the ignorant girl to flinch, as she was accustomed only to his irritable persona. I cocked my head to the side, a sadistic grin replacing my warm smile. Reaching deep into the sleeves of my tunic, I brought forth a large blade, which gleamed menacingly in the candlelight.

"_This_ type of fun."

Her eyes widened in fear, those innocent baby-blue orbs showing me exactly what I wanted to see.

_Pure terror._

I loved that moment. That second when their faces went slack, realisation seeping into their very cells, bringing out the worst kind of panic. The instant when they would understand that they had made a mistake, and that the mistake would cost them their lives. It filled me with power, and no other sensation could even come close.

The others jumped forward, a feral laugh leaving their lips as they pinned the screaming woman down, their blood-lust coming to the surface. That beautiful curly hair was tugged cruelly, earning a shriek of pain from our victim.

"Please, please, stop! I beg of you! Don't!"

I continued to smile ruthlessly, holding up the knife to my cheek as I ran my tongue along its side. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that, _princess_."

I advanced slowly, letting her know that death was coming, and that there would be no way for her to escape. The girl screeched in hysteria, kicking and struggling with all her might, only to be silenced by a hand roughly pushed into her neck, shutting her jaw. The others cackled viciously, drinking in the adrenaline of the kill.

My shadow loomed over her, the blade raised above my head as I felt absolute power rush through my veins, giving me a high like never before. Yes. _This_ was what I lived for.

My arms swung downwards, the knife plunging deep into her heart. The red liquid seeped from around the wound, spreading like a rose blooming in the spring. A choked noise came from the dying woman, her irises dark with shock and fear as she stared at the blood staining into her dress.

Ah yes, blood. It carries such a feeling of contentment, of satisfaction, as if it was filling up something deep within me. I dipped my fingers into the puddle on her chest, raising it to my mouth. The warm metallic taste disagreed with my tastebuds, and yet it left me feeling so satisfied.

Snow White let out a final dying gasp, eyes glazing over as the claws of death wrapped around her, pulling her into its eternal embrace.

I had had enough. Walking away, I made a waving motion over my shoulder.

"Do whatever you want."

~( ^_^ )~

_Ah, yes, good times, good times._

My attention reverting to the hideous person in front of me, I continued. "What would you need now? We have already provided the hundred pounds of gold as payment for your child. Was that not enough?" My gaze pierced her as I stared analytically at the woman.

She shifted uncomfortably, before her bony hands clenched into fists. "I am afraid that you have broken the laws of our kingdom. You and your group of homicidal murderers will be arrested." Her mouth was now in a curved smile, a look of contentment crossing her face.

"So…let me get this straight. You intend to use us as tools to get rid of that pest daughter of yours, get a small bonus in return, then arrest us and take our fortune?"

She nodded smugly.

I burst out laughing, my cold chortles echoing through the small room.

"W-what is so humorous?" she stands up abruptly, her chair falling onto the floor.

I could _smell_ her fear. She was afraid of me and my unusual reactions. She truly was stupid, maybe even more than her daughter. "So, who's going to arrest us? Your little squad of guards?"

The door swung open, and Sleepy stood there, his pick-axe swung over his shoulder, dripping with blood. A knight's helmet swung from his hand, red liquid smeared across its surface.

The queen's eyes widened in shock, the emotion slowly turning into fear as he fists began to tremble.

"You aren't the brightest of bulbs, are you? Many people have already tried this, and all have failed. There_ is_ a reason that we are the best in our field, Your Highness." I stood up, striding away to join my brothers.

"I would wish you and your kingdom well, but honestly…I don't."

**Was it as bad as I think it is? I would love some constructive criticism, just 'coz it will help me in the future with other fics ^.^**

**So in other words, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! ^~^ Please?**


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